Was it tricky to play a bad actor like Count Olaf?
Jim: I’m insulted they picked me(laughs). No actually it was really fun because when he makes choices you don’t have to do any research whatsoever. “I’m an Irish pirate? OK, whatever”. The thing about it is he’s always Olaf underneath it all. I love the idea that he thinks the children are so stupid that they would never recognize him in a million years. That’s kind of the gist behind this piece of material: no one believes the kids. Olaf is trying to work off of that but they immediately nail him every time. I think that’s a really cool thing that comes from the books. That feeling that kids are kind of on their own. TeenHollywood.com: How did you feel about Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Vs. Lemony Snicket’s a Series of Unfortunate Events? Jim: Not versus. I would never verse it, two different animals. “Eternal Sunshine” to me is a different kind of animal. Baiscally in “Eternal Sunshine” the script is the star and it touched a nerve in me – the idea of being made invisible. T
